The Necklace of Harmonia
by Ainikki
Summary: Takes place post-"Lost Mariner." Xena and Gabrielle find themselves on board ship with a slave trader, an incredibly unlucky centaur, and two volatile gods…what else could go wrong? :)


Disclaimer: All characters from _Xena: Warrior Princess _do not belong to me, but (to my great astonishment and occasional distress) to MCA/Universal. I promise to return all borrowed characters in roughly the same condition that I found them in.

Author's note: This story was written specifically for the most recent Shipper Talk challenge over on the Xena Fan Community Forum. As such, there were a few required elements I had to meet. For a list of these, please scroll to the end of the story.

**The Necklace of Harmonia**

The sky shone red-gold like polished bronze on the second morning they'd spent at sea. Xena sat next to a sleeping Gabrielle on the deck of the cargo ship _Leucothea_, watching the sun rise. Since the night had been calm, they'd slept aboveboard instead of below decks. Thanks to the pressure point she'd taught Gabrielle on their voyage with Cecrops, her friend had been able to sleep regularly and even eat some, though Gabrielle's aversion to the sea was still evident.

Xena liked the sea, but the red sky could be interpreted ominously. Such a sky nearly always foreboded a storm on the horizon. The captain of the ship, a swarthy man with too many tattoos named Tithonus, approached behind her. "Storm's coming," he said. "I'll have to get some of my men to secure the cargo."

Xena nodded. "Can I help?"

"No," he said nervously, and coughed. "Sensitive cargo. I only trust my men with it."

Xena surveyed the man skeptically and wondered if the tattoos should have been a surer tipoff to the man's disreputable nature. Out of concern for Gabrielle and of a very keen desire to return home to Greece, she had hired the first ship she'd found after Cecrops' ship had been swallowed by Charybdis, but maybe that hadn't been such a good idea…

Suddenly Xena heard a low whooshing sound and noticed that the deck pitched slightly when impacted by a sudden wave. The waves weren't high as yet, but they were definitely gaining force.

Gabrielle awoke with a jolt. "Where are we?"

"Not sure," Xena muttered, "but you should probably get below. A storm's on its way."

"Great," Gabrielle answered sarcastically. She rubbed her eyes. "Perfect. Just what we needed. Xena?"

"Yeah?"

"Promise me that after this we'll never have to sail again."

Xena said nothing. Gabrielle kept muttering, but gathered her thin sleeping roll and waterskin to take below. Xena followed her, watching the sky until she passed into the _Leucothea's_ hold.

As soon as she entered the main cargo hold, she smelled something familiar. The scent was vaguely earthy, like fertilizer, and there was something else under it like—

"Vomit," Gabrielle said in distaste, pinching her nose. "Looks like you've got some more people to teach that pressure point to." She jabbed at her own wrist, then crumpled to the floor in the corner, wrapping her arms disconsolately over her stomach.

Against her better judgment, Xena investigated the noxious vomit smell further. It seemed to be coming from the direction of the cargo hold. Although Tithonus had all but forbidden her to investigate that area, she was used to ignoring such prohibitions. When she reached the thin, low door separating the regular cabins from the cargo, she found it locked. Shrugging, she kicked the door open.

She was prepared, somewhat, for what she'd find, but preparation didn't help her feel better about the sight of Tithonus' "cargo." All around her in the semi-darkness, men and women in chains crouched, crushed and tangled together. Slaves. She counted five—no, seven—maybe as many as ten people huddled in the shadows. Somehow, she and Gabrielle had boarded a slave ship, and she hadn't noticed. Internally kicking herself, she took a few steps into the cargo hold.

A flurry of movement caught her eye; some of the people in chains were shielding their eyes from the light she'd let in. She heard a peculiar stomping sound from one corner and saw one male figure bent double, like an old beggar beneath a sack. Coming closer, she noticed he had the large, polished lower body of a horse.

A centaur? On board ship? Centaurs never traveled by sea; their bodies weren't designed for it, and Xena had never heard of a centaur being taken as a slave. Most centaurs she knew would rather fight and die than be taken captive. The centaur in front of her must have been extremely lucky—or, she thought as she pursed her lips, extremely _un_lucky.

Xena crouched low so that she was level with the centaur's bent head. "Hey," she said, reaching out a hand to shake the centaur's shoulder.

Before she could say anything else, the centaur jerked awake. "Where am I?" he asked in a forlorn, lost tone of voice. Seeing Xena, he asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm Xena," she answered, straightening up. There was no glimmer of recognition on the centaur's face; he obviously didn't know who she was. She could scarcely imagine how painful it must be for the centaur to lie twisted up like that, but that didn't mean she had to remain uncomfortable. "What's your name?" she asked the centaur.

"Phidias," he answered. Now that he was facing upward, she could see that his face was tinged slightly green. A wave crashed into the side of the ship; water leaked in, drenching the centaur's head and Xena's ruined boots.

"How did you get here?" While she spoke, Xena took the centaur's hand carefully, searching for the spot to press to ease his nausea.

"I'm not really sure," he said. "One minute I was walking into town with my brother—It was market day, see, and I was looking for a present for my wife. And I bought this beautiful necklace…" He fumbled with a pouch around his waist and brought out a bright golden torque inset with diamonds, sapphires and emeralds. "As soon as I bought it, this burly sea captain came up to me and accused me of stealing it—"

"Did you?" Xena interjected. She was still looking for the pressure point. When she found it and pushed it, he threw up on her boots. It was a miracle that he managed to hold the necklace above his head while he heaved so he didn't ruin it.

"Dammit," Xena cursed under her breath. Then she let it pass. The centaur was sick, and she needed new boots anyway. "I'm going to assume you didn't steal it." Then she held out her hand. "May I see it?"

Phidias nodded and handed it to her. As soon as she touched it, Xena felt a touch of nausea overcome her senses; her inner ear popped. "What is this?" she muttered. "The necklace of seasickness?"

"Well, now that you mention it," Phidias said, "I do feel much better now that you've taken it."

"You can have it back," Xena said after giving the necklace a cursory inspection. When the centaur accepted it, she said, "Hold it out. I want to get a better look at it."

"Why?"

"Because I don't think that's an ordinary necklace."

Phidias shrugged and did as he was bidden. It was difficult for Xena to make out details in the low light, but a peculiar pattern of two snakes twined together in the center was vividly etched in the center of the torque. In fact, all the workmanship was exquisite. She knew of few human smiths that could create such a work.

Xena reached out to touch the necklace's central emblem, then caught herself and frowned. "You said you bought this from a merchant. Did he say anything about it?"

"No," Phidias said, shaking his head. "In fact, he seemed pretty down on his luck himself. This was the only thing he had to sell."

Xena's eyebrows furrowed. Below and around her, the ship roiled, caught in the storm; she heard shouts overhead. Behind her, the door to the ship's cabins squeaked. She turned and saw a none-too-pleased Gabrielle supporting herself on the door with one hand. Her other hand was clenched over her abdomen.

"Xena!" Gabrielle called. "What's going on? Where—" Seeing the slaves, the centaur, and Xena, Gabrielle stopped speechless.

"Gabrielle," Xena said, "meet Phidias. He's having a bad day."

The centaur nodded. Now that he had the necklace back, he appeared greener than ever.

Gabrielle smiled politely at Phidias before confronting Xena. "Anything we can do about it."

"Depends," Xena muttered. "Ok," she said, holding out a hand to Phidias, "hand it over." She indicated the necklace with a nod.

"Gladly," Phidias said.

Before Xena could accept the necklace, Gabrielle slipped in front of her and took it in her own hands. "Oh, it's beautiful—" Suddenly, she stopped speaking and nearly dropped the necklace. Bent double, she dry retched on the deck. Before Xena could ask, she gasped, "Take it! Take it!"

Xena snatched the necklace up and looked at it speculatively for a moment. She ran her fingers over the central design and recognized the necklace at last.

"Now what?" Gabrielle asked as soon as she'd caught her breath.

"Now I call," Xena said. "Ares! I have something you want. Come and get it!"

Gabrielle's eyes grew as wide as open clam shells. "Xena, why are you calling Ares? After everything he's done to us, I think he's a god we want to avoid!"

"Gabrielle," Xena said firmly, "This necklace belongs to him."

Gabrielle's eyes went wide. "Since when does the god of war wear necklaces?"

"He doesn't," a deep, resonant voice said from behind them. Xena and Gabrielle whirled simultaneously to discover Ares, god of war, leaning nonchalantly against the cargo hold's wall. He sniffed the air once and grimaced, then moved a step toward Xena. One of the men in chains near Ares appeared shocked, but no one made any sound. "Now, hand it over."

"No," Gabrielle said, stepping in front of Xena. "Not until you," she said to Ares, "or you," she said, facing Xena, "tell me what's going on."

"I'm not sure," Xena said. "This is definitely the necklace of Harmonia, but I have no idea how it came to be here."

"Neither do I," Ares said. "It was stolen."

Xena smiled wryly. "Likely story."

"Xena," Ares said, "what do I gain by cursing one lousy centaur who can't even wield a spear?"

"The necklace of Harmonia is cursed?" Gabrielle asked.  
>"Yes," Xena answered. "It was a gift from Hephaestus to Harmonia—Ares' daughter, and Aphrodite's."<p>

"And since Aphrodite and Hephaestus are, um, involved—" Gabrielle nodded as she put the pieces of the explanation together. "Hephaestus must have been angry with you."

Ares snorted. "He's been angry with everyone, at one time or another. Family trait." His voice took on a hard edge. "Hephaestus cursed my daughter with this necklace," Ares said, "but I've never used it. Even if I did, I'd use it to curse some warlord I was displeased with, not a lovesick centaur."

"Lovesick?" Xena picked up on the word. It seemed like a strange descriptor for the god of war to use on anyone, much less Phidias.

A sudden lurch of the boat send Xena pitching backward and Gabrielle pitching forward; Gabrielle landed on the deck near (but thankfully, not on) Phidias' puddle of puke. Xena felt herself caught from behind; Ares' hands on her shoulder and waist steadied her.

When Ares didn't move his hands away immediately, Xena turned to glare at him. Smirking, he let her go.

Xena steadied herself on both feet. Gabrielle was watching her, but neither of them spoke. Suddenly remembering he was there, Xena turned to Phidias. "'Lovesick' is an odd word," she said, glaring briefly at Ares. Turning back to the centaur, she said, "You told me you were in town buying a necklace for your wife."

"That's right."

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why? I love my wife!"

"Not enough to prevent you from cheating on her!" A high-pitched, resonant whine emanated from the air. Aphrodite, the scantily pink-clad goddess of love, appeared in what was rapidly becoming a very, very crowded cargo hold. Some of the people in chains around her jumped and moved to get out of the way. Aphrodite sniffed dismissively, folded her arms over her ample chest and pouted.

"Of course," Gabrielle said quietly. "Aphrodite's Harmonia's mother. She'd know where to get the necklace."  
>"Was it really worth it for such petty revenge, sis?" Ares asked.<p>

"Duh!" Aphrodite exclaimed. "What was I supposed to do? His wife's an Amazon, and they _never_ pray to me. He shouldn't have been lookin' past his own babe in the first place."

"It's true," the slightly green-tinged centaur said. "And I promise to never cheat again. I mean it."

Aphrodite brightened immediately. "Great!" she said. "Then you guys can just give me that necklace back." She held her hand out to Xena expectantly.

Xena tightened her grip on the torque. "I think I'll be keeping this for the moment, thanks."

"You know that thing is cursed, right?"

"Yes," Xena said, "but I can think of better ways to punish cheating husbands than gifting them with this thing. How was he even supposed to find out what he was being punished with, or for? Or were you just going to leave him with it forever?"

"She has a point," Ares said, supporting Xena. "You never were good at keeping track of your toys, sis. Cupid got his hands on those arrows you had, and then look what happened…"

"Ok, ok, chill!" Aphrodite said, cutting him off. "You guys can keep it. I'm outta here." She vanished in a cloud of pink sparks.

The silence that followed her disappearance was awkward. Gabrielle broke it, looking from Xena and the necklace to Ares and back before speaking.

"So, your daughter," Gabrielle said to Ares. "Is she still…alive?"

"No," Ares replied curtly. He turned to Xena expectantly. For a moment almost too brief to be noticed, she saw pain flash in his eyes; the same kind of pain she'd seen when he'd feared for his own life on Sisyphus' island.

"I'm sorry," Xena said to him in a somewhat pinched tone, as if she felt sorry for Ares but didn't quite want to.

"Don't be," Ares said, but he avoided her eyes. "Just give me the necklace, and I can get back to that battle in Thrace."

Xena clutched the necklace tight in her hands. "What if I don't want to give this back? I'm sure you'll just use it to torture someone else."

Ares rolled his eyes. "Look, Xena, this thing has been missing for a week. Harmonia's upset about it. Our relationship is difficult enough, what with her being dead and all. I don't need to make it worse by telling her I didn't get the necklace back, and that I'm using it to torment some mortal."

"So Harmonia's good, then?" Gabrielle asked.

Ares grimaced. "Too much of her mother in her." Again, he extended his hand.

Xena frowned. "Fine," she said, "but if I hear about this thing causing any more trouble, I'm coming for you."

Ares accepted the necklace almost gingerly, carrying it in both hands. "Oh, I'm counting on it." With a roguish grin, he vanished in a flash of blue light.

As soon as he was gone, Gabrielle rested her hand on Xena's arm. "Did you know her?"

"Who?"

"Harmonia."

Xena shook her head. "She died two hundred years ago, Gabrielle."

"Oh." Gabrielle looked at Xena. "It's hard to think of Ares as a father, isn't it?"

"Not really," Xena muttered.

After a moment, Gabrielle said, "I'm glad you gave the necklace to Ares."

Xena smiled at her. "So am I."

From above them, Xena heard the crew exclaim in joy. The skies were clear of the storm; the curse was lifted. Odd, that Ares had lifted it. Or perhaps not. "Let's go above," Xena said. "I need to have a chat with the captain."

THE END

Disclaimer: Tithonus was not brought to justice during the production of this motion picture, but Xena kicked his arse to Tartarus and back as soon as the ship landed.

Here are the challenge's requirements:

The story must be an A/X shipper fic. It doesn't have to be overtly shippery and could even be bi-texty but it cannot be exclusively subtexty.

The story should be kept under 1000 words (approx. 4 pages).

The story can be any rating.

The story must take place before season 5.

Story elements must include: an enchanted necklace, any god/goddess other than Ares must make an appearance, and a seasick centaur.

Author's note: The Necklace of Harmonia is a real (er, mythological) artifact that does cause misfortune and was given as a gift by Hephaestus to Ares' daughter. It causes some other things, too, but none of 'em really fit into this story…


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